U.S. Schools Reject Pro-Life Groups, Give Support to LGBT Clubs Instead: Nationwide Trend?
Last week, at least two U.S. schools took action that showed their clear support for LGBT groups and their blatant rejection of pro-life advocacy groups—incidents that seem to indicate a nationwide trend in America's education system.
On Wednesday, The Church Militant reported that Parkland High School in Allentown, Pennsylvania, denied a request by a group of students to start a pro-life club.
The principal of the school reportedly told the students that the group would be too "controversial" and "political."
The students noted though that their school has a gay-straight alliance as well as a political science club.
A pro-homosexual group called GLSEN estimates that there are 1,000 gay-straight alliance groups in both public and private high schools in the U.S., according to The Church Militant. In contrast, Students for Life of America says it only has 635 pro-life high school groups in the country.
The school's rejection of the students' request for starting a pro-life club prompted the Thomas Moore Society to issue a "right to establish" demand letter to the school.
The pro-life law firm's demand letter told the school officials that their refusal to allow the creation of a pro-life club constitutes a violation of the students' rights under both the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and the federal Equal Access Act.
Meanwhile, also on Wednesday, the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) filed a federal lawsuit against California State University–San Marcos officials on behalf of a pro-life student organization, which was virtually prevented from engaging in a campus activity because of the university's discriminatory funding policies, LifeNews reported.
ADF noted that the university funds activities promoting abortion with almost $300,000 in mandatory fees for students but denied Students for Life just the $500 it needs for funding to host a visiting pro-life speaker.
"Universities should encourage all students to participate in the free exchange of ideas, not concoct elaborate funding schemes to award their favored few with first-class status while denying even economy class to opposing views," said ADF Senior Counsel Tyson Langhofer.
He pointed out that "under the First Amendment's guarantee of free speech, courts have repeatedly rejected unfair and discriminatory policies—like those found at Cal State–San Marcos—as unconstitutional."
